Deploy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors

Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are factory-built reactors with capacities under 300 MW that offer potential for flexible, low-carbon power and industrial heat. While the Nuclear Energy Agency projects a global market of 375 GW by 2050 that could avoid 15 Gt of cumulative CO2 emissions, SMRs remain in the demonstration phase. Significant barriers include high costs—estimated by Wood Mackenzie at US$6,000 to US$8,000 per kilowatt—which far exceed those of solar and wind power, as well as regulatory hurdles, waste disposal issues, and long deployment timelines that may limit their near-term impact on the energy transition.

• Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are defined by their smaller size (typically less than 300 MW) and factory-built design, which allows for faster delivery, lower potential costs than conventional reactors (700 MW to 1,600 MW), and incremental capacity additions through modular assembly.
• SMRs offer several climate and operational advantages, including the ability to provide baseload or backup power to complement variable renewables, decarbonize industrial process heat, and reduce financial risk for smaller utilities or developing countries. The Nuclear Energy Agency projects that by 2050, the global SMR market could reach 375 GW of installed capacity and avoid up to 15 Gt of cumulative CO2 emissions.
• SMRs have not yet achieved widespread commercial adoption or the scale necessary to measurably reduce global emissions, and they lack independent, peer-reviewed empirical data on long-term cost and operational performance.
• Economic and temporal barriers are significant; Wood Mackenzie estimates SMR costs at US$6,000 to US$8,000 per kilowatt, significantly higher than utility-scale solar (US$1,448) or onshore wind (US$2,098). The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis suggests SMRs are too costly and time-consuming to significantly impact the fossil fuel transition in the next decade.
• Other critical challenges include inherent nuclear safety risks, nuclear material proliferation, waste disposal, and regulatory frameworks that are currently designed for conventional reactors rather than new SMR designs.

APA

Project Drawdown (2025). Deploy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-small-modular-nuclear-reactors

Chicago

Project Drawdown. Deploy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. 2025. https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-small-modular-nuclear-reactors.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Project Drawdown |title=Deploy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors |date=15 April 2025 |url=https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-small-modular-nuclear-reactors |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{projectdrawdown2025deploy, author = {{Project Drawdown}}, title = {{Deploy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-small-modular-nuclear-reactors}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }